GUNNY POOH

My son, Gunnar, loved his little bear and wandered with him everywhere. I wanted to capture that time in his life with a collage portrait of them in the forest, where they often were the most curious.Decoupaged on the painted canvas are pictures of Gunnar and Bear as well as sparkles, rhinestones, glitter, flowers and leaves. And, I've added the quote "If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear," by A.A. Milne. The background painting isn't from Winnie the Pooh but from another of my favorite illustrators, Anita Jeram's I Love My Little Storybook. And, the painting was framed by my friend Robin in her new shop in West Chester, FastFrame!

LIZARD KING

My little lizard king has been immortalized in a Christmas ornament that we hang on the tree every year. He loves his reptiles but can't seem to contain them. I'm sure I'll find our lost shriveled up leopard gecko around here somewhere during spring cleaning...(Gecko update: he was found in the HVAC humidifier alive and well 5 weeks after disappearing. The Lizard King is very happy; his parents, not so much.)

PO•CO•NOS...PO•CO•NOS...

Known for chanting things at family gatherings, these two parents get their family portrait with an "enchanting" caption to boot. The collage captures their love of adventure and fun. The kids, much like their parents, are always up for a good time and will spirit their hardworking mom and dad off for a little R&R whenever they can wrangle them into it. This frame was made to fit around the canvas with wood splits you might find on a trail. Feathers and fishing hooks, pinecones and berry branches decorate the map and lake as our happy family marches on. Glitter twinkles in the night sky and a postcard message, Greetings from Pocono Mts. PA, tells you where they're headed.

BEESWAXED BABY KEEPSAKE BOX

Waxing over collaged work really gives a great patina to a piece. I wanted this gift box to age as the years and keepsakes accrued so I rubbed it with beeswax as the final step. The result is a soft and warm box that you want to pick up every time you pass it and look through it. The photo insert is the focal point but the real star of this box is how it feels when you touch it. Sorry, you can't get that in a photo.

BEACHES AND LITTLE BOYS

Alex's beach themed room needed a personal touch so we created shadow boxes and artfully arranged memorabilia from two different stages of his beach childhood vacations in them along with a photo. They were hung on either side of his bed.